No Parking? No Problem: Architect Transforms Bedroom Into Hidden Garage

Matter Architects' Jonathan Smith preserved the character of this cottage while making room for two vehicles

This unassuming-looking cottage in Posonsby, New Zealand, was recently renovated by owner Jonathan Smith, principal of Auckland-based Matter Architects.

Facade, before

Facade, after

By expanding the rear of the house, Smith more than tripled the interior space from 90 square meters (968 sq. ft) to 310 square meters (3,337 sq. ft.).

Rear of the house, before. If you refer to the satellite dish on the roof of the neighboring house to the right...

...you can get a sense of how far the house was expanded rearwards.

In our opinion, the most impressive part of the renovation has to do with the facade. Street parking is scarce in the area, so Smith worked out a way to fit two cars inside the house, converting a bedroom into a garage with a lift, hidden behind what appear to be ordinary exterior walls:

Enter a caption (optional)

Garaging provision in the traditional sense was impossible--requiring the controversial decision to install a drive-in garage and car stacker in what was originally the front left bedroom. Carving out portions of the villa, adding masonry wall structures, and retaining [sic] facilitated the car stacker installation. Giving way to a garage door, the original villa façade has been maintained in a seamless manner by retaining the weatherboards and joinery, and integrating a hinged door for vehicle access.

1 Comment

The back-end looks amazing. I just wish it addressed the character of the neighborhood at all. Just because it's on the back of the building doesn't mean it can't be seen by their neighbors / over the fence / on a hill. If the Posonby neighborhood is so special down there, shouldn't it be preserved a little better?

Otherwise, knock it down and put a proper garage that doesn't require a 15 minute interchange to get the second car out.